A really nice story about a village that lives at night and a young girl who takes on the job of Moth Keeper. She will become responsible for the care of the moths which pollinate the tree that their village depends on for survival. The book has beautiful pictures. I especially love the cover picture showing Anya and one of the moths on her extended hand. A quick but enjoyable read!

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

K O'Neill of Tea Dragon Society fame returns with their newest graphic novel, The Moth Keeper. Readers follow a young fox named Anya who takes on the responsibility of caring for the moths that are essential to the survival of her village. Anya struggles with the loneliness of her new task and adjusting to the workload.

K O'Neill always has such a beautiful and whimsical art style in all that they do. Combined with an eye for colors that perfectly accentuate the mood of the story being told while maintaining the underlying warmth of the tale, and K simply cannot miss. The timeliness of The Moth Keeper is particularly meaningful for those who have struggled with or continue to struggle with burnout in their jobs or daily lives, even with work they chose and want.

O'Neill presents their stories in a way that is accessible for middle grade on to adulthood with positive messages to be gained for any reader. As always, O'Neill's stories are inclusive of a diverse cast which is appreciated.

I am so grateful to have been able to read The Moth Keeper early and will be sure to purchase a copy for myself (and for friends) on its release.

Anya's struggles with burnout resonated with me, and I'm sure it will resonate with young readers as well. The Moth Keeper is an excellent example of why a sense of community is so important. O'Neill showcased their beautiful art for this story of loneliness, community, and also the symbiotic relationships that come up in nature. I loved Anya's story. ♥

I adored this story of Anya the Moon Moth Keeper with its stunning illustrations. I always have a smile on my face when I read K. O’Neill’s work.

O’Neill always has the most beautiful and lush stories. Stories filled with love, kindness and inclusiveness paired with lovely illustrations- The Moth Keeper is no exception.

Author/artist K. O'Neill knows how to tug at your heartstrings!

The Moth Keeper is a story of community, of finding where you belong, and of recovering from burnout. With stunning visuals and moving characters, we are welcomed into this desert village and through Anya's journey we learn about her and ourselves.

I don't read a lot of graphic novels but I do love myself a cozy fantasy, and The Moth Keeper feels like a warm cup of tea on a brisk night where the moon is shining brightly on a desert environment.

The artwork in this graphic novel is beautiful! I absolutely loved going through the pages and experiencing the story through the illustrations. The way the illustrations were put together it felt like there was movement, as if the visual static imagery was playing out the story like a short film.

That being said, I also had no idea what was going on half of the time. A lot is left to inference both emotional and story based. I guess the reader can take what they will from this story, but I really do think that a bit more text would aid this storyline. Maybe not necessarily dialogue if it doesn't feel genuine to the author, but just a bit more exposition and explanation.

I still had a lot of questions at the end of this book, and quite frankly I was left hurt as a reader by Anya's mother. That storyline was completely unresolved and left this story feeling a bit wanting. This seemed to be a story about Anya and her growth and acceptance of herself and others, and yet, I don't know how she could have resolved that without resolving the past with her mother. And because of that, the storyline of the moon girl also felt unresolved and left wanting. It also felt like a side story that barely tied to the broader narrative. Perhaps more dialogue between Anya and her when they first see each other would resolve that but I think that all comes down to what the author's intent and goals are for these storylines.

Thank you to K. O'Neill, Random House Children's, and NetGalley for an advance reader's copy of this graphic novel for which this review is based upon.

This review will be posted to various review pages upon its publication on the 7 Mar 2023.

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this graphic novel about a nocturnal community. Everyone has a role to play, and Anya has accepted the solitary but important role of Moth Keeper, tending the moths that pollinate the plants that sustain their community. I loved the storytelling aspects, the lgbtq representation, and the concept of community as family.
This is a great story, and the art is beautiful. It would have benefited at times from a little more text because much of the art requires a great deal of inference and interpretation from readers. Overall, I enjoyed the imaginative setting and characters a lot, just wished there had been more explained in the story.

In a Nutshell: What a gorgeous book! Amazing in plot, deep in meaning, lush in visuals. This begins slow but grows on you. Apt for middle graders and above.

Story Synopsis:
Young Anya has been appointed the moth keeper of her village. Her prime duty is to take care of the magical moon moths that allow the Night Lily flower to bloom once a year. This flower is essential for their village to survive and thrive, and without the moths, the tree will perish. Anya’s responsibility is thus vital. However, in the cold desert nights away from the village, Anya begins to wonder what it would be like to live under the sun. Will her desire to set aside the routine of the nocturnal tribe and attempt a daytime trip affect her work?

K. O'Neill is the NZ author who are most known for their Tea Dragon series, which are in my TBR and I have heard so much about. Reading this book showed me why the author has such a reputation.

This graphic novel hits the right mark in all the components necessary for a satisfying reading experience.
🌷 The plot is written in a way that all emotions come out clearly. Anya’s insecurity, her friend’s concern for her, the senior mothkeeper’s dedication, everything is beautifully portrayed. There are some dark themes as well, such as parental abandonment and obsession with the unattainable.
🌷 Through Anya’s tribe, who are an indigenous people in a desert land, we see their strong connect to nature and how they live in harmony with the laws of the land without abusing their power. The story also touches upon the importance of having a community spirit rather than allowing only one person to shoulder a task.
🌷 There is a fair balance between visuals and text, which is something many graphic novelists forget. The author doesn’t fill every single panel with text. Rather, they allow their artwork to do the talking on quite a few pages. This approach allows us to focus on the beauty of the sketches as much as on the story.
🌷 The message is wonderfully woven into the storyline. What use is the pursuit of what-if while ignoring what-is?
🌷 The storyline is inclusive, as can be expected of an OwnVoices author.

On the flip side:
🌵 Somewhat mixed feelings about the art style. The character illustrations were quite quirky, and as this is my first book by this author, I am not sure if it is their signature style. But the characters seemed to be part-human-part-animal. (Anya is described as a “fox girl” in the editorial note at the beginning, but there’s no elaboration of this in the story.) I didn’t mind this artistic decision but didn’t understand the significance of it.
🌵 The story takes a while to get going and it is only in the second that he plot actually surges towards its main point.
🌵 There are some minor tracks that stay unexplained. (Is it hinting at a series, I wonder?)


The complaints are minor, the joy is great. The content is aimed at middle graders, but even older graphic novel readers will be able to find much to relish and cherish about this heartwarming book. Definitely recommended.

4.25 stars.

My thanks to Random House Children's and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Moth Keeper”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Moth Keeper is a beautifully drawn story that explores finding belonging, longing for the unknown, and the idea that we cannot be fully fulfilled by a purpose or a job. This challenges the ideas of duality, family, and culture in a way that leaves you feeling vulnerable. This book was stunning and I cannot wait to dig into more from K O'Neill in the future.

I don't usually do graphic novels, but I'm so glad I did. The Moth Keeper is a captivating story of duty, belonging, and acceptance. It's beautifully illustrated and follows a young girl who is learning to tend to the moths.

Through adventure, curiosity, overcoming fear and trauma, and finding beauty in every part of life, join Anya in her journey of becoming a Moth Keeper.

I absolutely loved this graphic novel. It was beautifully illustrated. And the story was mesmerizing like a moth to a flame. The night dwelling world was so interesting. And it was wonderful to see the duality of the day. This story spoke so much about the importance of community. And how it's okay to need help. This graphic novel delivered a vital lesson in such a unique way. It is truly brilliant.

Thank you to Random House Comics and TBR tours, for letting me read this early in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a magical cozy read with beautiful artwork, I’ve read the artists other work and can say this definitely lives up to the hype.

This was a gorgeously illustrated, standalone, fantasy graphic novel. I loved the whimsical characters and the lore, as well the color scheme. I really enjoyed getting a peek into the lives of the day dwellers. This was a solid, light-hearted graphic novel.

The Moth Keeper :

5/5 Stars

TW : Depression, Child Neglect

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours, Netgalley, and Random House Comics for providing me with an early digital arc to review.

I absolutely love K. O’Neil’s comics and I wanted to get an arc of this book but at first got denied so when I saw this tour I figured give it one last shot and when I got approved for the tour there was tears. This book is just like K’s other books in its amazing diversity in all forms of race, sexuality, and disability which is just so amazing.

This book follows our main character who is becoming a Moth Keeper which is a great honor in her village but it comes with the downside of being very lonely as the Moth Keeper has to go around to provide the moths with what they need to let the village’s night flower flourish. Anya, our main character, wants to prove her worth to the village and if that means she will be lonely she assumes it will be fine as she has been lonely most of her life. Her friends start to realize that maybe Anya doesn’t actually want the role of moth keeper but Anya refuses to give up but that might lead to unintended consequences.

This is a beautiful story about friendship and family and how sometimes your friends can tell when you're not happy even when you don’t want to admit it to yourself. Anya didn’t grow up in a good environment so she doesn’t fully understand when you need to listen to others when they might know more than you do. The subtle representation of depression in this book felt very well done as it isn’t flat out full force depression but the more subtle sadness and tiredness that slowly affect your life.

The art style for this book is different than dragon tea society but it is beautiful in it’s own way and I absolutely loved how it worked with the story. The art style was very flowy and fit with the freeness of the story especially with the moths.

I highly recommend this if you are looking for a whimsical graphic novel that is diverse and has beautiful artwork.

This graphic novel is beautiful and is all about found family and friendship. I loved following Anya’s journey.

The Moth Keeper has been on my radar since reading The Tea Dragon Society. I was very excited to read this story, and it did not disappoint. The story depicts two villages. One is the Sun village and the other is the Moon. Each of the villages live their lives accordingly. Anya of the night village wishes to become the next moth keeper in order to be of service to her community. She wants to find her place in the village despite having fears of the dark. She is also plagued by feelings of inadequacy and questions how her life could be different if she had lived in the Sun village.

The Moth Keeper is beautifully illustrated. Beautiful landscapes and expressive characters ignite the imagination and make you feel fully immersed in the story. I highly recommend this story for young readers and parents who want to make story time a bit more magical.

What a delightful and beautifully illustrated novel.

The message of the story was given a bit heavy-handed, but overall, still very wholesome and sweet. The characters were very charming. I think this is a perfect cozy story.

The version I have read is an arc and not a finished publication. I did find a mistype in the version I read *page 233 But, I assume that will be fixed before release.


Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for the arc!

I received a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This beautiful graphic novel is about Anya, who takes on the responsibility of being a Moth Keeper in her community, a type of shepherd that keeps the moths safe so they can keep their resource that is integral to the community. What follows is a story of mistakes, burnout, and healing. Themes include hard work and the juxtaposition between night and day.

The art is full of diverse characters and a peaceful setting that fits right in with the Kay O’Neill expanded universe. The overall message is about how to learn a skill for the sake of the community in a healthy way. I wish I could jump into the pages and live in a place like this. There is one character who is based on an owl, who keeps a library’s worth of stories in her wings, and she was my favorite character.

This book is great for all readers, but especially for young readers, to help instill in them not only a sense of hard work, but also a sense of healthy work-life balance and the importance of community. Content warning for parental abandonment.

"We all have days where we can't quite remember the ratio of things, or times when we feel unsure of our skill. No matter how long you study, knowing when to ask for help is a form of wisdom."

An uplifting middle-grade fantasy with an important message that children and adults alike can learn from. Anya's journey as a young moth-keeper, her desire to serve her community, and the subsequent burnout she feels are too real, and we all face things like that in our everyday lives. Watching Anya learn how to accept help from others when she needed it and make things right when she fell short was so impactful and done in such a way that younger readers will really root for her and, hopefully, take to heart the story's important message.

Also, the artwork! The warm and cool desert tones playing together on the page! K. O'Neill's work is the reason I've fallen in love with graphic novels, and The Moth Keeper is no exception. A beautiful story, rich in color, vibrancy, and universal messages.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy!

Another amazing graphic novel by K. O'Neil!! This one was melancholy but so so relatable. It's hard when you feel like the burden of the world is yours alone, but it's important to remember that your loved ones are there for you.